Marlins: Minor-leaguers Dyson, Hatcher in fight

Although players in Triple-A are typically fighting for a chance to play in the major leagues, a fight for an undisclosed reason has gotten a couple of Marlins farmhands in trouble.

New Orleans relievers Chris Hatcher and San Dyson reportedly duked it out at a Nashville bar on April 29. Dyson ended up with a broken jaw and Hatcher with a five-game suspension.

“I’m not getting into that; can’t do it,” Hatcher told the New Orleans Advocate, regarding what caused the scuffle. “I’m suspended for conduct detrimental to the team. Unfortunately [the incident] happened, and I’m going to leave it at that.”

Dyson had surgery on his jaw in Miami and is expected to miss six weeks, the newspaper reported.

He is 0-1 with a 2.76 ERA in eight appearances for the Zephyrs. Hatcher was 0-2, 2.51.

Both pitchers appeared in games for the Marlins last season.

Hatcher has had several call-ups since debuting as a catcher in 2010. He moved to the mound and returned to the Marlins each of the subsequent three seasons without notable success, going 0-1 with a 7.22 ERA in 29 appearances.

He was designated for assignment this spring but elected to remain in the organization but is no longer on the 40-man roster.

Heaney ascending

Left-handed prospect Andrew Heaney continued to improve his chances of reaching Miami this season with another strong outing Tuesday for Double-A Jacksonville in a 6-1 victory at Montgomery.

Heaney, the Marlins’ No. 1 draft pick in 2012, retired the first 11 batters he faced and completed six innings, allowing one earned run and three hits.

Currently ranked as the organization’s No. 1 prospect by MLB.com, Heaney is 3-1 with a 2.31 ERA in seven starts. He has 37 strikeouts in 39 innings while walking 10.